


One of the Gods

by whispered_story



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Immortality, Knotting, M/M, Post-Apocalypse, god!Jensen, non-human Jensen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-19
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-06-03 06:48:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6600982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whispered_story/pseuds/whispered_story
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Centuries ago, mankind was all but annihilated by the gods in an attempt to save the planet. Now, Jared, a human hunter from a small village, meets Jensen, one of the old gods and protector of the forest Jared hunts in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One of the Gods

**Author's Note:**

> Beautiful [art](http://fridayblues.livejournal.com/42379.html) by the amazing [fridayblues](http://fridayblues.livejournal.com).  
> beta'd by [dancing_adrift](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Dancing_Adrift/pseuds/Dancing_Adrift).

Jared returns to the village empty-handed, bow and arrow slung over his shoulder and an empty water skin hanging at his hip. His mother frowns when she sees him. She's refilling jugs with water from the well that's located in the middle of the square that builds the center of the village. At this time of the day, close to dinner time, it's almost deserted and Jared curses his luck for running into his mother of all people.

"It's the second day in a row that you didn't catch anything," she says when she sees him, and even though her voice is neutral Jared can read the concern in it. She hands him one of the jugs and Jared gratefully takes a long sip from it.

When he puts it back down, he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and shrugs.

"I'll have better luck tomorrow."

"It has nothing to do with luck. You're a good hunter; you always catch something," Jared's mother replies, and peers up at him. "Jared, you didn't do anything, right?"

Jared suppresses a sigh and shifts the bow so it settles more comfortably on his shoulder. He knows exactly what his mother is hinting at. Since he was a toddler, she's been warning him not to do anything to displease the gods, that he needs to be careful and cautious. It used to terrify him, and he'd wait for something horrible to happen every time he did something wrong. Over the years, fear gave way to skepticism. He doesn't doubt the gods, just that they care enough about him to punish him for small transgressions. Most people in their village are quick to blame the gods whenever something bad happened to someone, though. Sometimes Jared thinks it's nothing but a handy excuse. Blaming them is easier than blaming yourself, or having to accept that sometimes bad things happen for no reason.

"Mom," he says, barely refraining from rolling his eyes. "It's been two days. Even I have a streak of bad luck sometimes."

"Rarely."

"But it happens," Jared replies. "It's not the first time, and it's never been more than a few days. I'll catch something tomorrow, you'll see."

His mother looks like she wants to argue, but then her shoulders slump and she drops the topic. Jared offers to walk her back to the house, carrying the heaviest two jugs, and then makes a quick escape, declining his mother's offer to have dinner with them.

He's not in the mood for an evening of her dropping subtle hints about what he could have done to cause his ill success the last few days. Unlike his mother, he really doesn't believe that anything but coincidence has made him return without any prey. It happens. It doesn't help that it's been weirdly foggy for the past few days and Jared isn't at the top of his game – of course, his mother would probably blame the heat on the gods as well.

He's heard stories about them all his life - the evil they've done, the cruelty and violence they're capable of. Stories about how different the world used to be before the gods destroyed it. There used to be millions upon millions of people, most of them living in huge cities - and Jared's heard of almost unbelievable inventions, of people taking to the skies and the oceans, of lives in splendor. It's a world that seems so different from his he can't even fathom it.

That world was wiped away by the gods, though, destroyed in just one night, centuries ago, and only a few humans survived. Now, all that remains are traces of the world that once was. Far in the distance, there's still the crumbled ruin of one of the old cities, dark and looming. When the sun sets it's lit up in reds and oranges, and his grandmother used to tell him that it still burns, that the evil is still there.

Jared knows a lot of the stories are exaggerated, but he also knows there's more than enough truth to them. He feels a healthy amount of fear of the gods, for the boundless power they must have, but he doubts they care about a mere human like him.

So he mostly ignores his mother's horror stories and fearful predictions, keeps his head down, and does what he does best: hunting and seeking out the solitude and peace of the nearby forest.

He goes to bed that night not even thinking about the deities everyone else seems to fear and worry about so much – it's the last time that ever happens, but he doesn't know it yet, and he sleeps peacefully.

~

Jared gets up at the first light of dawn the next morning, determined to succeed that day if only to prove his mother wrong.

He packs a light lunch, fills his water skin, and grabs his bow and arrows. The village is almost completely silent this early in the morning, the streets empty and dark, and Jared takes the familiar path to the edge of the forest. He lets his fingers trail over the bark of the big, old oak tree that stands there, lingering for a short moment.

"Let my hunt today be blessed," he murmurs, and then pats the tree with a small smile.

The forest is cold and dark this early in the day, and Jared hopes the rising sun will warm it up quickly. There's only a little fog today, a thin mist hanging in the air, and Jared feels hopeful. The further he walks into the forest, the narrower the path gets until it disappears completely, but he keeps going. He's been hunting since he was a teenager and he knows this part of the forest like the back of his hand. Knows it better than anyone else, probably.

Few villagers dare to go this deeply into the forest, but Jared has never cared, never felt unsafe. He likes being away from the people, the daily hustle and bustle of the village. Here, with the earthy smell and the chirping of the birds, he feels truly at peace.

He walks silently, leather-clad feet treading lightly on the leaves and twigs on the ground. There are a couple of traps Jared has set up, and he goes to check them first, but finds all of them empty, so he keeps going. He spies a couple of rabbits, but they're too fast, rushing into the thicket and hiding before Jared can even get an arrow out.

By the time the sun is high above him, Jared is still without a catch and he decides to take a break. Hopefully, he thinks, as he sits down on a fallen tree, he'll have more luck this afternoon or he'll never hear the end of it.

Jared pulls out the bread and cheese he brought and starts eating. He's just swallowed the last piece of cheese and reaches for his water skin to wash it down, when he hears a rustling coming from the thicket just off to his side. Jared freezes, waits to hear the sound again. His things are lying next to him and he curls his fingers around the smooth wood of his bow and lifts it up silently, eyes fixed on the bushes.

He blinks, and suddenly there's a figure standing there, just a few feet away.

"Who," Jared starts, but stops when the figure moves into the light. It's a man, only Jared instantly knows it's not really a man at all.

He's wearing nothing but pants, light-colored and thin, made out of a material Jared doesn't think he's ever seen. His feet and chest are bare, skin golden and smooth. There's an intricate crown of pale yellow flowers sitting on his head and vines are wrapped around his wrists like thick bracelets. He looks otherworldly beautiful, like no other man Jared has ever seen and he can't help but stare. He feels compelled to get closer, to touch, take in as much of him as he can, but he's completely frozen, and he can't breathe.

The man cocks his head to the side, lips tugging up in a small smile.

"Come with me, Jared," he says. His voice is melodic, yet deep, and Jared feels the words echo around the trees, wrap around him like a blanket.

Jared picks up his things. He wants to ask where they're going, and why, but he doesn't. He just follows silently, and he's rewarded with soft smiles every time the man turns around to look at him.

Jared's not sure if they walk for five minutes or five hours, all sense of time and space lost to him, but he knows they must be in a different part of the forest than where he usually is when they reach a spring he's never seen before. The water is bubbling out of a formation of mossy rocks, pooling into a pond that peters off into a small stream. The water is clear and bright blue, and all around it there are lush green plants springing up, grass interspersed with beautiful, colorful flowers.

"Come," the man says and beckons Jared over to a rock by the water. He sits down and pats the space next to him, and where his hand brushes against grass at the edge of the rocks, small, white flowers spring up. For the first time, Jared feels a small flash of fear.

"Come," the man says once more and looks up at Jared expectantly. His eyes are green, framed by thick, dark lashes, and this close Jared can see the freckles on his skin. 

He swallows thickly and sits down, a bit awkwardly, but he holds himself still, muscles tense. The man just smiles, calm, and starts picking a few flowers from the grass by his side. They're white and soft pink, and Jared watches long, elegant finger tie them together skillfully.

"Who are you?" Jared asks after moments of silence, and it takes all his courage to form the simple sentence.

The man halts what he's doing and looks at Jared.

"I've been called different things, different names," he says with an amused lift of his lips. "You can call me Jensen, though."

"Jensen," Jared echoes, and there's something familiar about the name, a distant memory pushing at the edge of his brain. He thinks he’s heard the name before, maybe in a story his grandmother told him when he was younger.

"You're one of them, right?" he asks in a whisper, even though he already knows the answer.

Jensen smiles once more, picking another flower and tying it to the string he's already made.

"I suppose so, yes," he says, and when he looks up at Jared his eyes are twinkling with amusement.

"You suppose? What does that mean?"

"You call us gods, but we don't use the same labels you do," Jensen explains, and there's patience in his voice.

Jared hesitates, unsure if it's okay to talk, to ask more questions. The whole situation is bizarre and he can't help but feel terrified of Jensen, a god who is so casually sitting next to him, making a flower crown like there is nothing out of the ordinary. Jared can feel the power radiating off him though, the raw strength, and he can only guess what lies under the harmless facade. And yet he can't help but feel drawn to Jensen, compelled to stay where he is.

"It's okay to talk, Jared. I didn't ask you here to sit in silence," Jensen prompts, and Jared licks his lips.

"What...what do you call yourself? You said you don't use the same labels we do," he says, because it seems like a safe thing to ask. There are a million different questions running through his mind, but Jared treads carefully, scared to say the wrong thing.

"Nothing," Jensen replies with a shrug. He looks down at his lap and ties the ends of the line of flowers together. "I just am. But, I suppose, if I had to call myself anything, using terms you'd understand, I would call myself a protector."

"Of what?" Jared asks.

"Of this," Jensen says. He waves his free hand around, encompassing the pond, the forest beyond it. Jared isn't sure he gets it, but he nods anyway.

He takes a slow breath.

"And what do you want with me?"

Jensen gives him another smile and lifts up the flower crown. It's thicker than his own, the flowers big and lush, and he places it onto Jared's head. His fingers trail down Jared's cheek and the touch leaves Jared breathless, his skin tingling. Jensen cups his cheek.

"What are you willing to give me?"

"Give?" Jared asks, confused, and Jensen nods. "I don't… I'm not sure what you mean."

The look Jensen gives him in response is soft, kind, and he smoothes his thumb gently over Jared's cheek.

"You don't have to answer me right now. There's no rush, Jared," he says. "For now, I just want to talk to you, be with you. If you want to."

"Yeah. Yeah, I do," Jared answers without hesitation, because despite everything, he can't help but want that. Just looking at him makes Jared's breath catch a little and his touch makes Jared feel more alive than he's ever felt before.

Jensen's lips twitch up and he leans in, lips skimming over Jared's cheek. It's brief, but Jared still feels his eyes flutter closed for a short moment, a calm, content feeling washing over him.

"It's getting late. You should get back home," Jensen says, his hand sliding back to Jared's neck.

"Home?" Jared echoes. The idea of leaving suddenly seems unfathomable. He wants to stay, wants to be around Jensen a little longer. But Jensen gets up wordlessly, holds out his hand to Jared, and Jared has no choice but to take it and let Jensen pull him up.

"I'll walk you," Jensen says, and he doesn't let go of Jared's hand.

They walk mostly in silence, Jared not sure what to say and feeling sad that the afternoon is over so quickly. He feels like he was in the clearing, having lunch, just moments ago.

Jensen doesn't seem to mind Jared's silence; he hums under his breath, sometimes stops to point out a flower or a tree.

At the edge of the forest, Jensen stops and Jared turns to face him.

"So," he starts awkwardly.

"Don't wait too long to come see me again," Jensen says with a smile and Jared ducks his head.

"Tomorrow, maybe?" he suggests, and he's already made up his mind about it. He's going to get up early and go see Jensen right away, spend the day with him, if Jensen will let him.

Jensen gives him a fond look, touches his cheek, and then turns to leave.

"Wait," Jared calls out and Jensen stops, looks back. "How will I find you?"

Jensen laughs.

"You don't have to worry about that, Jared," he replies. "I'll find you."

~

Jared goes straight to his little house at the edge of the village. Usually, he visits his parents for a while, or just ambles through the village to catch up with people, but today he doesn't feel like talking to anyone.

It's only back in the safety of his home that he realizes he's still wearing the flower crown Jensen made. He pulls it off, staring at it as if transfixed, studying the white and pale pink flowers woven around a thin branch with soft green leaves. Jared turns it around slowly and catches something sparkling. The sun is already setting, the light in his house murky and he steps closer to the light of the oil lamp he lit when he entered. He finds the flowers glittering with small drops of what Jared thinks is water, but then he touches them and finds they're stones. Small, sparkling gems.

Jared has never seen real, precious gems or diamonds in his life, but he thinks this is what they must look like. Carefully, he puts the flower crown on his nightstand, where can see it.

He makes himself a quick dinner and then changes into soft, loose pants. After blowing out the lamp, he sits at the window for a moment, looking out. In the moonlight, he can see the crumbled ruins of a city with a long-forgotten name looming in the distance. He thinks of Jensen, and wonders if he was there when the city was still populated, and what hand he played in its downfall.

~

The next morning, Jared sets off early again. He takes his bow and arrows, packs a lunch like every day, but the last thing he's thinking about is hunting.

He walks quickly, a clear aim in his mind, and makes it to the clearing. But once there, he's suddenly not sure what to do. Should he just sit and wait for Jensen to show up? Is there something he should say or do to make himself known?

For a few minutes, he walks around the small clearing, waiting with bated breath. Nothing happens and Jared gets restless soon, so he decides to try to find the way back to the spring. But the trees and thicket Jensen had led him through so easily the day before seem impenetrable now, making it impossible for Jared to find his way.

"You'll only get lost," an amused voice says behind him and Jared turns to find Jensen standing there. The flower crown is missing today, but there are vines crawling up his arms from the bands around his wrist, all the way to his biceps.

"Jensen."

Jensen smiles at him, "You came."

"I said I would," Jared says, and he doubts he could have stayed away even if he'd tried. The pull Jensen has on him is too strong, too enticing.

"Humans don't always keep their word," Jensen says with a shrug, but his words carry no heat, his expression soft. "But you're different, aren't you?"

Jared is not sure what to say, because he doesn't consider himself any different than the people he knows. So he says nothing, the words hanging in the air between them.

Jensen holds out a hand.

"I have a place I want to show you."

Jared takes his hand, and like the day before he follows Jensen without asking where they're going. Jensen weaves his way through trees and bushes, never faltering or stopping. His steps are light, his feet barely making a sound on the thick forest ground.

Jared feels like the forest gives way for him, letting them enter deeper and deeper. They pass the spring, following the flow of water. The small stream gets bigger, faster, when it joins with another one and there's a roaring sound that gets louder. It feels like they've been walking forever when Jensen finally turns around, and smiles.

"We're almost there," he says. It's a few more steps, and Jared realizes that they're on some sort of cliff, the roaring sound coming from the river cascading down.

"This way," Jensen says, pulling Jared to the left. They walk down, the waterfall crashing down to their right. The trees are sparse here, and the ground is rocky and hilly, but Jensen's steps are sure and Jared, to his surprise, has no problem following him on the uneven ground.

They make it to the foot of the cliff and there's a beautiful, sparkling lake, the water hitting the surface spraying them with a soft film of water.

"It's beautiful," Jared says, taking it all in, and Jensen looks pleased.

"I knew you'd like it," he says, and goes to sit down on a small formation of rocks, feet dangling in the water. Jared sits down next to him, takes off the soft leather shoes he is wearing and dips his feet into the cool wetness.

"Jensen?" Jared starts. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, anything."

"Earlier, you said we don't keep our word. Humans, I mean," Jared says, and Jensen scoffs. "You don't like humans very much."

"They have given me very little reason to."

"Why would you say that?"

Jensen's expression is serious when he looks at him, somber.

"Why do you think we did what we did? All but erasing mankind?"

Jared shrugs.

"I don't know," he says. "I asked my momma once, but she just said gods are vicious and cruel beings, and they don't need a reason."

Jensen laughs, harsh and bitter, and it reminds Jared of who exactly he is dealing with. A god who could kill him easily, could smite the whole village. Beautiful, otherworldly as he is, Jared realizes there is also something dark about him, something dangerous.

"Some of us are vicious, maybe, but our actions are never random. We don't kill without reason," Jensen says. "When we decided to eradicate humanity, we did so because it was the only thing we could do. We were protecting our homes."

"What do you mean?"

"The world was a much different place back then, Jared. It must be hard to imagine now, but humans were destroying Earth, and they weren't letting up even once they realized what was happening," Jensen explains. "We tried to stop them, but no storm we brewed, no earthquake we created was enough to warn humans off. They scoffed at our power and kept going, pouring poison in the earth, killing off whole species of animals, wrecking the planet with wars. This forest, you would not have recognized it then – the trees were dying, the water drying up, and there was barely an animal left. We had to do something, Jared. I told you, I'm a _protector_."

"So you killed the humans?" Jared asks, and part of him is horrified, but another part thinks maybe he understands. He loves the forest, the sheer force of life it possesses, and picturing it dying makes his chest ache.

Jensen looks out at the lake, a frown marring his beautiful features.

"It was the only thing that could still stop them and save the world from total destruction," he says. "And we didn't kill everyone. Some of us believed that you would learn, would change, and that we had to give you a second chance to rebuild a better society."

"Did you think that?" Jared asks softly, looking out at the lake too.

Jensen snorts.

"No. I didn't," he says. "Humans are greedy and ruthless. It took this planet centuries to recover and it might take a few more centuries, maybe millennia, but history will repeat itself."

Jared breathes in slowly, trying to still the beating of his heart.

"What about me then? If you hate humans so much, why am I here?"

Jensen covers one of Jared's hands with his, skin warm, and Jared feels his heart slowing down, a calmness coming over him.

"I told you, you are different," Jensen assures. "You make me not regret letting some humans live."

~

Jared is drawn to Jensen like a moth to a flame. He returns to the clearing where they first met almost every day. Jensen is always there, soft smiles and gentle touches, showing Jared places in the forest so beautiful, so peaceful, that Jared gets why Jensen is so adamant about protecting them. He always loved the forest, but Jensen can take him places that are beyond everything he’s ever seen, ever thought possible.

There are moments when Jared is reminded of just who Jensen is, his strength, the anger simmering just under the surface, the danger he poses, but Jared feels safe with him. Protected, like the forest.

Over the next couple of weeks, he neglects his work in favor of spending time with Jensen. He hunts sometimes, knows he has to in order to appease everyone, but he brings home far less than he used to. He usually doesn't make it back to the village before the sun is already setting and he ignores people there. The few times someone corners him, he tells them he is having a streak of bad luck hunting.

His mother drops off food regularly, telling him she's worried about him, and Jared doesn't dare tell her that he hasn't gone hungry in days even if he isn't having any luck hunting. Even on days where he has nothing more than a couple hands full of berries, he does not go home hungry and he knows, somehow, it's Jensen's doing. Sometimes, Jensen brings him things too – sweet, sticky honey that he drizzles over the berries Jared gathers; deep, red nectar that leaves Jared's body tingling and humming; flowers that smell so sweet, to Jared they seem unreal.

The moment Jared steps into the forest, it's like he's entering a new world now. Like a dream, a bubble he is in that he shares with Jensen only. It doesn't take long before Jared starts to wish he'd never have to leave again.

~

"My grandma always told me there are different kinds of gods," Jared says, taking a careful step. They're wading through the shallow water at the edge of the pond, barely ankle-deep. The stones are a bit slippery, but the water feels cool and nice, and Jared likes the way it feels. It's been hot the past few days, the sun beating down without mercy and even in the shade of the trees it's warm and the air stuffy. Jensen doesn't seem to mind the weather, but Jared feels his shirt sticking to him with sweat.

"Did she?" Jensen asks, and bends down, letting the tips of his fingers brush through the water.

"Yeah," Jared says. "She said some are crueler than others, and that they are all different. I read this book once, a really old one, from before. It was about Greek mythology."

"Those tales are mostly fiction. There are some truths buried in them here and there, like with any good story," Jensen assesses. "But yes, we're not few in numbers and we're spread out all over the planet. Like humans, we have different places we call home, for a lack of a better term, and with that comes different things we do, different beliefs we have."

"You live here?" Jared asks. "In this forest? Like, you watch over it?"

"In a way. The forest is my home, my responsibility," Jensen says and swirls his fingers through the surface of the water. "I don't just watch over it, though; I'm part of this forest, Jared."

Jared frowns.

"What does that mean?"

"Every animal, every plant in here, is mine and I am theirs," Jensen explains patiently. He's always so patient with Jared, answering every question and never seeming to tire of Jared. Now, he smiles at Jared. "I take care of them and their well-being is twined with mine. I _am_ this forest, Jared, it's a manifestation of me. I'm these flowers, the fish swimming in the lake, the tree growing high, the wolf and the owl. All of it."

"But," Jared starts and stops himself, not sure what to ask, how to understand.

Jensen holds up a hand, drops of sparkling water sliding down his skin.

"Watch," he says, his voice having gone soft.

Jared holds his breath, and for a moment, he isn't sure what to look for, but then the air around Jensen shimmers. He thinks he seeks horns protruding from Jensen's head, wings spanning behind his back; his teeth look sharper when he smiles, his eyes so green and bright they don't look human.

Jared sucks in a breath, his heart beating erratically in his chest. He blinks, and it's just Jensen again. It's then that he notices the vines around Jensen's arms are moving, sneaking up his arms, twisting and curling together.

"Do you understand?" Jensen asks. "Everything here gets life from me, and that makes it a part of me."

Jared stares at him, at the smooth, golden skin, the freckles on his face, the eyes that seem kind and dangerous all at once.

"You can take on different forms?" he asks, and Jensen laughs softly.

"I _am_ all of those forms. The form you see is one I _choose_ to present myself in. You keep forgetting that I'm not human, Jared," he says, giving Jared a twisted smile. "I can look like one, but I'm so much more. Everything you see here, in this forest, is a representation of me, something I give life to and nourish. They are all me, in a way, or maybe I am all of them."

"Oh," Jared manages to breathe out. He's trying to wrap his mind around it, to understand, but it feels like he's only grasping a tiny little part of everything that Jensen truly is.

Jensen moves closer to him then, bringing his hand up and stroking a finger down Jared's jaw, leaving behind a wet trail. Jared shudders.

"Say, Jared. My beautiful, brave hunter," Jensen murmurs. "Does it scare you? What I just showed you?"

A startled, overwhelmed laugh breaks out from between Jared's lips.

"Scare me?" he repeats, his voice quiet. "You're beautiful."

It must be the right answer, because Jensen looks pleased, expression soft.

"You're even more different than I thought you were. Astonishing, really," he says. "Not many would look at me and feel anything but terror."

"You've never given me a reason to be terrified," Jared replies, and Jensen smiles.

"Oh, don't underestimate me, sweetheart. I can be much crueler than you might think."

Jared takes in a breath, puffing out his shoulders a little.

"No," he says with conviction. "I'm not naïve. I have no doubt about how powerful you must be, and the things you can do, have done. But not to me. You have never been anything but nice and sweet with me."

"No," Jensen admits, "You're right. But that does not mean I won't one day do something that will hurt you, that you will not understand. You might be different, Jared, but other people are not. People you know, people you love. And I need you to understand that I would not think twice about hurting them in order to protect this place."

The thought pains Jared, the idea of Jensen hurting the people back in the village, and yet, a part of him is maybe starting to understand.

"Have they given you any reason to believe it might come to that?"

"Sooner or later, it always does," Jensen says, and pulls away from Jared, slowly walking back to the short. "Maybe not this decade, or even this century, but eventually it will happen. I've been around for a long, long time, Jared. I know humans in ways you never will."

"I know," Jared says, following him. Jensen sits down on the edge of the water, where the grass is growing lush and green, and Jared goes to sit down next to him.

"Things used to be very different," Jensen starts. "Humans used to worship us, a long time ago, but now they believe we're monsters, demons."

"What happened?"

"They forgot," Jensen says softly. "They forgot that we were their protectors as much as nature's. And when they stopped living in harmony with nature, they stopped living in harmony with us. So we turned our backs to them, too."

"But what if that changed again?"

Jensen shakes his head sadly.

"Humans have become tainted, Jared. They turn to gods in times of need, but reject us any time they don't need help, condemn us for what we had to do. They despise us for the power we have and they don't," he says. "We only help the pure, the innocent. Humans are no longer innocent."

"Not all humans are bad."

"No, but the good are few."

"Am I one of the good ones? Is that why you want me around?"

Jensen smiles at him.

"I want you around for many reasons, Jared; I'm not sure anymore if you being good has anything to do with it," he answers. "In fact, I'm not sure anymore if anything would change how I see you if you weren't good."

~

Most nights, Jared dreams of Jensen now.

Sometimes it's good, harmless. Dreams where he runs through the forest with Jensen, the trees around them moving and whispering words he can't make out; he dreams of the pond, and the waterfall, and flowers.

Other times, there are nightmares. In most of them, Jared finds himself staring at burning villages, bright orange flames shooting up into the sky. The Jensen in those dreams is harsher, worn, and he looks at Jared with unapologetic eyes as he burns down humanity.

In one of those dreams, Jensen cups Jared's face in warm, gentle hands and smiles sadly.

"I had to do it," he says. "Do you understand now, Jared?"

And Jared wants to say no, that there must have been a better way, but then the burning village in front of him changes, transforms into the forest, only it's so different. The trees have lost their leaves, the plants withered and dead, and there's not a single sound Jared can hear. He feels water at his feet, and when he looks down, he finds himself ankle-deep in the pond, but the water is brown and slushy, and there's not a single flower growing at the shore.

There are other dreams, too, dreams that terrify Jared more than the nightmares could, and yet they soothe him, too. In those dreams, Jared is sprawled out on the forest ground, with Jensen hovering over him. He's beautiful, glowing, and he smiles as he leans down and kisses Jared. The terrifying thing about them is that Jared wakes up from those dreams feeling happy. It's wrong and confusing, and yet there is a part of Jared that knows he belongs with Jensen, to Jensen.

~

The days he spends with Jensen get longer and longer, as Jared starts to draw out returning home as much as he can.

One day, he returns to the village at dusk, empty-handed as most days now, his belly full with berries and nectar. He doesn't venture into the village, knowing he'll be met with inquiring looks and subtle questions about his day. Instead he goes to his cottage right away.

To his surprise, he finds his mother there when he steps inside. She's standing by his bed, the flower crown Jensen made for him in her hands. It still looks the same way it did the first day, the flowers alive and lush, the crystals glittering even in the dim light.

"What is this, Jared?" she asks, holding the crown up. Her voice is thin, restrained.

"Nothing," Jared deflects. "What are you doing here?"

His mother looks at him for a long, silent moment.

"Jared," she finally says. "Who gave this to you?"

Jared presses his lips together, not bothering to answer, and goes to put his bow and quiver away instead.

"People are talking about you, did you know that? You're in those woods all day, but you rarely return with anything. Some days you don't even take your bow and arrows," his mother says, shaking her head. "You don't go there to hunt, Jared. Tell me what are you doing there?"

"Nothing. Checking my traps, trying to find different hunting grounds."

"Jared, there are dangers in this world that you don't know of. Whatever it is in those woods, it's not good for you. You're getting tangled up in something dark, something dangerous," she says, voice taking on more force now.

"I'm not, mom. I promise I'm safe."

"You aren't. If whatever keeps luring you into that forest won't kill you, they will."

Jared freezes.

"Who?"

"People are getting worried, Jared. Scared. They say there's a demon in the woods, a dark spirit and it has gotten its hooks in you. You're luring it to us!"

"He's not a demon," Jared snaps.

"He? Who is _he_?"

Jared deflates, leaning against the small table across the room from here where he usually eats.

"One of the gods, mother," he whispers and his mother gasps.

"Jared. _No_. Gods do not get involved with humans. Whatever creature you're meeting up with, he's fooling you. And if he's not, that's even worse."

"You don't know him."

His mother laughs harshly.

"Have you forgotten what they did to mankind? The pain, the suffering they caused?"

"Have you ever stopped to think they had a reason?" Jared counters, lifting his chin challengingly.

"Whoever he is, god or monster, he's feeding you lies, toying with your beliefs, Jared. You can't go back."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm a grown-up, mother, and I know what I'm doing."

"You cannot go back, Jared," his mother stresses. "I can't let that happen."

Jared stands up straight, drawing himself up to his full height. "What will you do to stop me?"

"Whatever I have to," she says. "I would rather sacrifice you than let that devil have you."

Jared feels a sharp, deep pain in his chest at those words. His own mother is turning against him, and yet it's not even a question for Jared that he'll choose Jensen. He can't not go back, can't let go. He doubts he could have from the very first moment he met Jensen.

There's a sudden noise coming from outside, a crashing, and his mother glances at the window. In that moment, Jared knows everything has already been decided. Even before his mother came to talk to him, the village had made up its mind about Jared.

With three long strides he's back at the door.

"Jared. Don't fight and this can be over quickly," his mother calls out, and Jared just shakes his head sadly.

He opens the door, ready for the guy that comes at him. There are noises coming from down the street, voices and heavy foot-falls, and Jared grunts as he rams his shoulder into the guy in front of him. He gets hit in the stomach by a flying fist, but the guy stumbles, and Jared turns and runs.

There are people coming after him, following him, but Jared has always been a fast runner, his long legs eating up the distance to the forest. He doesn't bother with the path, just runs straight in as he reaches the first line of trees. He crashes through the underbrush, feet tangling in sticks and leaves, branches hitting his face, his arms, scratching up his skin.

The noise of the village fades slowly, the sound of footsteps getting quieter until they stop. Jared is pretty sure they'll be too scared to follow him deeply into the forest, worried about what is in there and might try to protect Jared, but he still keeps running. It's dark by now, and Jared can barely see.

He stumbles and almost falls a few times, knocks his shoulders into trees, and he's panting now, his sides starting to ache. He's deep in the forest when he finally stops, his body hurting. Around him, everything is dark and silent, and it feels smothering. Jared wraps his arms around himself.

"Jensen!" he calls out, and his voice echoes around him, broken and choked. There are tears burning in his eyes, and he yells again, "Jensen!"

"What are you doing here?" Jensen asks, and Jared whirls around. Jensen steps out from between the trees, visible even in the darkness. He's by Jared's side in an instant, reaching out for him. Jared flinches when Jensen's fingers brush against his cheeks.

"Jared," Jensen murmurs. "Oh, Jared."

His thumb wipes tears from under Jared's eyes and then his arms slide around Jared, pulling him in. Jared lets out a strangled sob and buries his face in Jensen's neck.

"I'm sorry," Jensen says, and he's rocking Jared now. His voice is smooth and soft and he smells like earth and flowers.

"They wanted to—they wanted," Jared starts, but Jensen shushes him.

"I know. I know," he says, stroking his hand down Jared's back. "It's okay now. You're okay. I'll take care of you, Jared."

~

Jared wakes up the next morning in a clearing. He's wrapped up in thick, warm furs, and his head is pillowed on soft, springy moss. The sun is up and shining, birds chirping.

Jared pushes the furs off his body and sits up, blinking. Jensen is there, and he comes to sit down next to him, holding a wooden cup of water and a big cupped leaf with berries and nuts.

"Eat," he instructs softly, and Jared gives him a small smile, picking up one of the berries. It's ripe and sweet, and Jared chews is slowly. Jensen watches him carefully, reaching out to brush Jared's hair back.

When half of the food is gone, Jared clears his throat.

"I'll never be able to go home, will I?" he asks.

Jensen gives him a sad look.

"No, I'm afraid you won't," he answers honestly. He leans into Jared and presses his lips to Jared's naked shoulder. Jared's shirt, ripped and stained, is lying in a heap next to him and Jared shudders at the feeling of Jensen's lips on his bare skin.

Jensen slides one arm around Jared’s back and the other around his stomach, to where Jared's hand is resting on his lap. He takes Jared's hand in his and Jared looks down, watching him twine their fingers together. The vines around Jensen's wrist start to move, curling toward Jared's own hand, and Jared stares in fascination as they wrap around his wrist and slither up his forearm. It tickles, but it doesn't feel restrictive, and when Jensen drops his hand from his, the vines remain like a bracelet tied around Jared's arm.

Jared turns to look at Jensen then, and Jensen is smiling.

"I'll take care of you, Jared," he repeats the words from the night before, and then he cups Jared's face in both hands and pulls him in.

The first touch of Jensen's lips against his makes Jared's stomach flutter and his body tremble.

~

Jensen is standing in the lake up to his thighs, drops of water from the waterfall crashing into the lake a few feet away splashing up all around him, while Jared is sitting at the shore, watching him. Jensen's smiling, his pants soaked all the way up and his chest glistening with water.

Jared can see his cock through the wet, thin material, big and heavy, and it sends a thrill through his body. Back at the village, he never looked at another man like that, knowing it was frowned upon, deviant.

Jensen scoops up water, lets it trickle down, drops sparkling. He cups his hand under the other, closes his fist around the last few drops, and when he opens it again there's a glittering gem in his hand. Jensen wades out of the water, kneels down next to Jared and places the stone in his palm. Jared sucks in a breath.

"The flower crown," he says, and Jensen looks puzzled. "The one you gave me the first time we met. My mother found it. She probably still has it and if she shows it to people, if they see it… "

Jensen smiles.

"You don't have to worry, Jared. I made it for you and nobody else. It will have turned to nothing but a heap of ashes by now."

"But if she tells people; if they come looking for you, or me," Jared starts and Jensen places his finger on Jared's lips.

"Nobody will be able to find me, unless I want them to," he says. "And as long as you're with me, they won't find you either. You have nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure?"

Jensen leans in and brushes their lips together briefly.

"Nothing will happen to you here. You're mine, and I protect what's mine."

Jared nods and traces his finger over the vines around Jensen's wrist.

"What does that mean? That I'm yours?"

"I told you you're different, Jared," Jensen says. "Special. I knew it the moment I saw you, long before I even revealed myself to you; I knew that you were meant for me, that I would always love you and take care of you."

"Yours," Jared echoes, and Jensen touches his face, kisses him lightly.

"Yes. All mine. And you can be so much more. Jared, I can give you so much more than you can imagine," he says.

"What?" Jared asks in a soft voice.

"You can become the forest's too. A part of me. Forever," Jensen says. "You and me, we'll always be together."

Jared turns his head, forehead against Jensen's.

"How do I do that?"

"You just have to be willing," Jensen says. "You have to give yourself to me, completely, let me take you. You'll be mine as much as I'll be yours."

Jared takes a slow breath, feels Jensen's fingers tangling in his hair, holding him.

"Yes," he breathes, and curls his hand around the gem in his palm, feels it digging into his flesh. "Please. Make me yours."

~

Jensen leads Jared to a clearing covered in soft moss and wildflowers and lays him down. More flowers spring up around him, surrounding them, and Jensen undresses him, tosses the clothes aside.

"You won't need them anymore. It’ll be just us from now on," he whispers and leans in, catching Jared's lips in a deep, slow kiss. Jared arches up, wrapping his arms around Jensen's neck to keep him there.

They kiss for what feels like hours, before Jensen slowly pulls back, pressing open-mouthed kisses to Jared's jaw, his cheek, the slope of his eyebrow. He sits back then and undresses, revealing skin that is so smooth, so perfect it seems to be glowing almost.

Jared moans and Jensen shushes him with another kiss, before moving down his body. He kisses and nips and licks Jared's throat, the dip of his collarbone, down his chest. He takes his time, teasing Jared's nipples and Jared feels them tingle as they get hard as Jensen sucks first the left, then the right one in his mouth, uses his tongue and teeth to play with them. Nothing has ever felt like this, and Jared can't hold back making soft, desperate noises, his hips undulating restlessly.

"You're perfect," Jensen murmurs into the skin of Jared's chest, fingers ghosting down Jared's side. Jared thinks he hears the flap of wings, air wafting over his skin, and he shivers.

"It's okay. I've got you," Jensen whispers.

His touch leaves a trail of heat down Jared's body, his kisses an intense pleasure, and Jared writhes under him.

Jensen sucks a mark onto his neck, while his hands map out Jared's body.

"Mine," he says, and all Jared can do is murmur his agreement. He's Jensen's, and he knows that, soon, Jensen will be all his, too.

Jensen opens him up with slick fingers while he continues to kiss and touch Jared. The first touch of his finger against Jared's hole makes him shudder. He knows the mechanics, has heard whispers of two men being together. It used to be less uncommon, as far as Jared understands, in the old world, before things became all about reproduction and repopulating the planet. He's thought about this, though, even before he met Jensen, and the barest of touches is enough to make his stomach knot with anticipation.

He twists his fingers in Jensen's hair, moaning desperately into the kiss, when Jensen pushes the first finger into him. One becomes two, then three, and Jared rocks down on Jensen's fingers shamelessly, whimpering and begging.

It's weird and intense and wonderful, and Jared is pretty sure he will never get enough of this.

And then Jensen sits back, nudges Jared's legs further apart, and moves in closer. He settles one of Jared's legs over his shoulder, and Jared's breath catches. Jensen's cock is big and hard, the tip glistening with precome.

"Just relax. Let it happen, let me take care of you," Jensen murmurs, and Jared meets his eyes and nods. Jensen's cock feels even bigger when the head presses against his entrance, and Jared groans when he pushes inside.

Jared thinks it should hurt, the slow push on Jensen into his body, but instead there's nothing but a pleasure so intense Jared thinks it's going to rip him apart. It feels like Jensen is everywhere: inside him, and around him, filling him up so completely as he slides in impossibly deep.

Jared's last, rational thought is that he's pretty sure this is not what sex with a human would feel like. After that, he gets lost in the pleasure of it. Jensen thrusts inside him again and again, filling every nook and cranny in Jared's body until Jared can't tell the two of them apart. He swears he feels Jensen everywhere, feels possessed and owned in the most amazing way possible.

It goes on what feels like forever, the pleasure never letting up, basking Jared in a hazy bliss. Jared arches up into Jensen, meets his thrusts, and digs his fingers into the earth and moss around them. His orgasm roles over him like a wave, but Jensen doesn't stop; he keeps rocking his hips into Jared, kissing the moans and whimpers out of his mouth.

The fog in Jared’s head clears a little when Jensen pushes in again, and the base of his cock seems bigger suddenly; Jared feels it grow wider, adding pressure. He blinks at Jensen in confusion, startled as the swollen base nudges against him, seeking entrance.

"Told you I'm not human," Jensen murmurs, like he's reading Jared's mind. He's smiling down at him, body moving with a steady rhythm. His skin is glistening, damp, and the vines around his wrist have slithered all the way up to his shoulders, one starting to sneak down his chest.

"Let it happen. Let me in, sweetheart, so I can make you mine. Irrevocably," he whispers, and Jared relaxes. He trusts Jensen completely.

Jensen circles his hips, the pressure against Jared's hole increasing and as he leans down, kisses Jared's neck wetly, Jared feels his body give. Jensen slides in impossibly deeper, the wide and thick base of his cock pressing into Jared's body with a pop, and Jared throws his head back and keens. It doesn't hurt, not one bit, instead it's the most intense, all-encompassing feeling Jared has ever felt. In that moment, he feels like everything rights itself, like something slots into place and Jared is exactly where he is supposed to be.

He feels Jensen come inside of him, filling him up, and Jared comes for a second time, his body tightening around Jensen.

~

The base of Jensen's cock – his _knot_ – ties them together. They lie tangled up in each other, kissing and petting, while Jensen whispers to him how beautiful he is, how amazing. Jared is too fucked out to reply with proper words, so he hums and makes soft noises, his lips seeking Jensen's out again and again. The need to kiss, to touch, to be close is almost overwhelming.

When Jensen slides out of his body, he shifts them around so that he's spooning Jared, his arms wrapped securely around him.

"Am I yours now?" Jared asks, voice mumbled, and Jensen nuzzles his neck.

"Mine. Always," he murmurs in reply and kisses Jared's neck, the spot where he sucked a hickey earlier. His teeth scrape over the skin, followed by his tongue, and Jared feels like a shockwave runs all through his body. He knows it's true then, feels it everywhere, that he is tied to Jensen forever now.

The vines around their wrists twist and turn, curling around each other, and Jared smiles, clarity setting in.

He, too, is one of the gods now.

**Author's Note:**

> You can also find me on livejournal ([akintay](http://akintay.livejournal.com/)) and twitter ([@whispered_story](https://twitter.com/whispered_story))!


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